Tweet
How would ya'll rate Mac,Snap-on,Kobalt,Craftsman,Stanley?,Thorsen and others makers of wrenches, sockets/ratchets and mechanic's hand tools...I seem to like Vise-grip & Channel-loc better than their generic "clones"....Craftsman ratchets seem to strip out quickly....
-
-
Ninety percent of all my tools are Craftsman, with a few others mixed in for arguments sake, and I've been really happy with them for the vast majority of my projects. When I do break a 3/8's ratchet, its usually due to me being too lazy to go get the right sized tool. I can throw ALOT of mass behind just about any tool which causes one of two things to generally happen: the fastener comes loose, or the tool breaks. Shame on me for not using the right tool for the job.
My dad has had the same set of PROTO wrenchs in his tool box for the better part of 45 years, and other than a few that have grown legs and migrated over the years, they still look almost like new.
I've found over my years of offroading that I carry more cheap tools on the trail than good ones. That way, if I loan one out, and it dosen't come home, I'm not out alot of money. Or if I need to weld a 3/4" wrench onto my broken tie rod to get home, I'd rather it be a cheap tool used once in a while rather than a good one used all the time.
I find that when I need some type of specialty tool, either a very large wrench, or oddball sized socket that I only intend on using once or twice a year, the cheap chinese jobby usually does the trick. I can't justify spending 50 bucks on a single use tool when I can spend 10 to accomplish the same task. The amount of use it see's will keep it in the same condition for almost ever. If it was an everyday use though I'd invest in a good one naturally.Comment
-
I think all will do the job well, and other than features and ergonomics are essentially equivalent. What you pay for in a Snap-on, or Mac IMO is the service aspect. If you're a professional mechanic, having the tool guy come to you is probably worth the extra money compared to having to stop working and go to Sears or Lowe's to replace a broken tool. They're also a one-stop shop for just about anything you could need. You can buy a $50 wratchet and a $5000 diagnostic computer from the same guy.Originally posted by 712edf View PostComment
-
I have mostly Craftsman, and most of it is pretty old, but in very good condition. I also have some Snap-On.
I will say this about Snap-On. I like the appearance of their tools; they can be a bit like jewelry. An important aspect of their polished, smooth surfaces is that they are much easier to clean with a shop towel than a satin chrome piece, particularly if satin finished tool has a pebbly surface. Too many little grooves in which the dirt can stick. It washed off nicely, but with polished chrome it is clean in one pass of a towel.Power Wagon Advertiser monthly magazine, editor & publisher.
Why is it that the inside of old truck cabs smell so good?Comment
-
Yeah if I was a professional mechanic I'd go the tool truck vender route....Once needed a ball joint socket for a 60 De Soto Fireflight, one of the tool guys was the only one around..Comment
-
Yes, I had to mail order one of those. Most places didn't even know what I was talking about. Same with an impact socket for the PW lug nuts. Sears doesn't make a 1/2" drive version but they do carry a S&K version mail-order.Originally posted by 712edf View PostComment
-
I order from the Snap-On web site, all the time.Originally posted by Desoto61 View Post
Easy, painless and fast. Complete specs and photos.
Nice site.Comment
-
Trying to track down the local Snap-On guy is pretty tough, but the internet is always there 24/7! Thankfully I only broke ratchets and their crappy allen key drive sockets. I do need some nice flex sockets and I know I won't bother with Craftsman for them.Originally posted by greg rider View PostComment
-
I'm 6'4 and 315lbs....if the onlysocket that fits is 1/4 drive and I can't get the nut/bolt out without breaking the ratchet I can't rate Craftsman high at all. I swear the reversing pawl is made from chineese pot metal! I have some Proto tools, SK, Snap-On, and Mac, and a couple nice KD ratchets....love them. Clones usually don't do too well for me. I break Husky "Vise-Grip" all the time. And I have some 40 year old Vise-Grips from my grandfather still going strong. The Tradesman brand at Tractor Supply makes nice Channel Loc copies. Teeth don't round off and I haven't broke the pin either....I'm not tooo insanely rough on tools. I use non impact sockets from Craftsman all the time on my impact. never broke one....Its just the ratchets that are complete useless junk.Originally posted by 712edf View PostComment
-
then what is the purpose...
of a breaker bar ??
it seems a lot of guys ASSUME they can break loose a 20 year old rust encrusted, weather exposed nut & bolt assembly...
by the grace of the tool gods...
i'm guilty of the same problem... grabbing the socket and rachet...and not wanting to TIRE MYSELF OUT... ignoring the breaker bar...
; > )Comment
-
PB Blaster and a 4 ft pipe is usually my breaker bar on the big stuff....but there is only sooo much force one can apply to a 7" long ratchet ;-)Originally posted by rickt4498 View PostComment
-
I have a 18" Craftsman Breaker bar. They don't carry that size anymore, only 16" or smaller. That 18" breaker has one side broken off, I think I broke it the first time I used it, in 1977. It's still going strong....= )
I have a 36" Snap-On 1" drive breaker for big jobs, hate to place a pipe on any wrench handle...probably how I broke that 18" breaker....= )Comment
-
So maybe a 7 ft sign post is a little overkill....Heck thats the nature of my vehicle builds! ;-)Originally posted by MoparNorm View PostComment
-
Ha! Ha!Originally posted by Disturbeds10 View Post
I was removing a 2" fire sprinkler pipe, it was 55 years connected, so it didn't want to budge. I placed my 30" pipe wrench on it, helped by a 10' piece of pipe that took two of us to lift over the handle, it seemed to work fine.....= )Comment
-
When I bought my first M37 about 12 years ago I was checking over the brakes and what-not. Did the passenger side first without a problem. When I moved over to the drivers side I had a heck of a time getting the first lug nut off. A 3/4" impact socket, with a 36" bar, with a 7' snipe and my 325 pounds bouncing off the end of it, and low and behold it moved! And then to my delight it kept moving. I remember hoping that this was the only "real" tight one...
I didn't break the socket, the bar, or the snipe. But I did learn a valuable lesson. The right tool for the job can still wreck parts if used in the wrong direction...
It was only after I'd spun the nut several times that it occured to me that it wasn't comming off. I wish that I had known prior to the endeavor that M37s had right hand thread on the right side wheel studs, and left hand thread on the left side studs... Needless to say, the old 5" makita with a zip-cut blade made short work of that oops.Comment
Comment